Social Media
Follow us, or not!

Kick up your feet and relax, it’s time for Reverse the ‘Verse! Check out today’s summary of the show.

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Ben is doing well in the hospital, doctors say another two more days and he can be released.

2.5 is going very well Tyler says. It’s been very stable so far and there’s a possibility Evocati testers wont need to test it for long.

GrimHex in its current state will be a restricted weapons zone, however down the line with future iterations they want all areas to be weapons free, but with consequences if you choose to draw your weapon.

Argo will not have a Jump Drive as it is a snub fighter and only the Idris at this time will get an Argo on its release(Subject to change).

Argo may or may not fit in the Starfarer, will only know when they’re both in game.

Procedural generation footage will most likely come at Gamescom during the course of the event. They still aren’t doing a big fancy presentation, but will reveal things over the course of the Gamescom event. Editors note: I misunderstood what was said. There is nothing about Procedural Generation confirmed or any other aspect of development confirmed or hinted to be shown off during Gamescom. The only thing known is there will be be a livestream throughout the event, giveaways and swag.

When work on the new patch system is done, it’ll be implemented internally first for testing and then live once they’ve got the kinks out.

Herald will be Flight ready before Information gameplay mechanics are in. Priority for game mechanics are based off how many ships use them such as Cargo being a top priority and mining, Salvage, etc.

Today is Gurmukh’s last day at CIG.

He’s been with CIG for two and a half years and will miss everyone dearly. He encourages people that want to keep in touch with him to do so.

He’s moving onto doing film and freelance work and generally take a break as he’s had quite a event filled year with him almost dying in Hospital when he was there and is now engaged.

He said he’ll make a personal concept for a single seat fighter for Anvil as he always wanted to. Whether or not we’ll see it in the future is unknown.

For Carrack owners, Gurmukh was primarily a Concept Artist. His work on the Carrack is finished and it will be in the hands of another team for building as how the pipeline works.

His legacy he said is the Vanguard, but believes the Carrack is right up there with it too.

BritizenCon tickets are still available at the door for the event which happens tomorrow @1pm at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Manchester.

There’s a Bar Citizen tonight at “Woodys” in Austin, some folks are CIG will be there.

The next season for Around the ‘Verse will begin next week with the current format as seen the for the 100th episode celebration. Each week it will rotate between studios

The next season of Reverse the ‘Verse starts next week as well with a similar format, except it rotates between studio’s as well. This means the times when it goes live will also change in order to accommodate European time zones when it’s hosted in the UK and Germany.

Subscriber RTV will also be changing to Subscriber Town Hall which is out next week. The format is more like a Town Hall meeting and as such, calling it RTV didn’t make sense.

The replacement for 10 for the Chairman wont be done until Chris is back. Once they’re happy with it, then it’ll be released.

Disco’s week has been dominated entirely by Gamescom stuff. Every year around this time, everything gets dominated by Gamescom and CitizenCon. And they learn how much Ben does, when he’s gone.

For anyone who doesn’t know, Ben is recuperating in hospital right now. He was taken to ER on Friday, with a systemic infection of the blood-stream, commonly known as Sepsis. He’s been on antibiotics ever since. He’s responding well, getting better, probably another two more days in hospital before they’ll let him go.

If you want to wish him well, he’s checking his Twitter when he can. That’s the only thing he can really check from the hospital bed.

Find him @banditloaf on Twitter.

Lots of work putting together AtV this week, which was Frankfurt’s episode. Fourth and final AtV 100 episode.

Todd Papy looks very intimidating apparently. And has beautiful eyes.

There was a tour of the Frankfurt office in AtV, there have been two previous tours, but it’s grown a lot since the last one. All the CIG studios are continuing to expand.

BritizenCon is finishing its set-up this week, there are still tickets at the door. Brian Chambers is going to be there, some folks from the UK CS team, etc… check out Britizencon if you’re in the UK.

It’s tomorrow 1pm at the Radison blue hotel in Manchester.

There was also a deeper look into GrimHex this week. Saw some more exterior detail, landing pads and hangars, and the racing tunnel. 2.5 is the initial iteration of GrimHex. GrimHex will continue to expand.

GrimHex rollout will be similar to ArcCorp; how they opened up the back alley, then added buggies, etc… GrimHex will rollout, and more features to it will be added as they go.

And now we’re on to questions and answers. Ask in the community chat on RSI.

[With the Authenticator App available, is there any priority for subscribers to the SC app?] It’s being worked on by Turbulent. It’s not subscriber only, it’ll be available to everyone, work on it is proceeding. Disco has seen mockups. They’re actively building it, but no ETA yet.

[When will we get a complete 2.5 feature list?] Standardized process for this is when they move from Evocati to PTU.

[Cat hangar ready?] When questions aren’t going to be answerable.

[What happened to Nyx?] Check out the Tony Z interview from AtV Austin. He goes into detail about how Nyx will rollout with the first iteration of procedural planets.

[Argo quantum jump drive?] No. It’s a snub. If you go back to watching the CitizenCon presentation last year, there’s an Argo at the beginning of the Idris section. It’s a very small ship. More like a ship tender than anything else.

[Any other stations and buildings being worked on right now?] Yes. Very yes. A lot.

[GrimHex – free fire or safe zone?] Depends on feedback. They talked about it in AtV this week. That’s iterative. What happens in the first version might change. Eventually CIG dont’ want armistice zones, period. They’re a weird godray that prevents you from pulling a gun. There’s another system in-line that’s being built out that will punish you for doing bad things in certain areas, but not prevent you from doing it.

That won’t come in 2.5, but it’s on the horizon.

Not everyone is comfortable being on TV, CIG don’t force anyone to go on. It’s only those that are ready and willing that’re shown.

[How is in-game voice chat coming along?] It’s being worked on, but that’s as much as they can say. They got to see a sample in a recent show-and-tell, and it was the highlight. Chris is very excited about it.I believe it’ll come with the revamp of the org / social system?

[Any events in Texas this year CIG might attend?] Tonight is a BarCitzen at Woody’s, there’ll be a handful of CIG people attending to hang-out and chat.

[Will the F7A skin ever go back on sale?] No plans at present. It was a one-off thing for a charity they believed in. Part of the mystique was to be at the time and the place for the cause. Not that they won’t do it, but there aren’t any plans to.

[How will hangars work on GrimHex?] They haven’t seen it yet.

[Have you been able to play through a mission in SQ42 yet?] Disco has been able to, but has chosen not to. Tyler has played through every mission because he comes from QA, and it was his job to to so.

[Will website and forum become aligned design wise again?] Yes. It’s a major project. What was Org 2.0 is now a full-blown revamp of the entire communications platform. They will be completely redone and more in-line with the overall website.

[Which shop would you expect to find in Area 51?] They probably have a gift-shop? Disco would find it amusing to build a gift-shop. No-one can visit, no-one can buy anything, but it’d be amusing to have one.

[Tyler, favourite bbq in Austin?] Rudy’s bbq, but you have to know how to order properly.

[Now that we’ve seen all the offices, who has the coolest workspace?] Disco really likes the way Frankfurt looks, Tyler things LA, but the patio in Austin is gorgeous apparently.

[Was GrimHex always part of the plan?] It was something that came from a lot of feedback that designers agreed on. They wanted to have somewhere for outlaws to spawn.

[Is there still a plan to release Gold Horizon to PU?] It was built for the original iteration of Star Marine. It was never intended to go in the PU. It was a video-game level within the Star Marine video-game inside Star Citizen. Not sure if Gold Horizon will be even be included in that. Disco doesn’t know. It’s not a SQ42 asset, it’s not a PU asset. Was strictly for the video-game within the video-game (which is not gone)

[Another Bar Citizen in Santa Monica?] Right now they’re so focused on Gamescom and CitizenCon, and considering Cit Con is the ultimate Bar Citizen… less than 3 months away… that might be the next event in So Cal.

[It was pretty clear that the guys in the other studios were devs, not community or show guys. Thumbs up to the volunteers] Yes. The guys in the AtV’s were devs, not show-guys or community team. Much appreciation to them.

[Shoulder-fire missile launcher?] Disco has talked to people about it. In a sneak-peek for AtV months ago they showed a shoulder-mounted railgun. That kinda stuff is considered. As part of development, you build and concept lots of things that never see the light of day. Just because Disco’s talked and seen concept, doesn’t mean it’ll make it into the game.

Good example of this is the concept art book for Force Awakens – tons of art that never made it to the full movie.

[How hyped are you for the Argo sale?] Disco thinks the Argo’s cool. He’s not a good dogfighter, tends to gravitate towards non-combat roles. One thing that excites him most isn’t the things the Argo’s intended for, it’s the emergent behaviour. Disco wants to see the things people do with it that aren’t intended. It’s small, it has some additional functionality we’ll learn about with the combat sale, it’s designed for cargo, but there’s a lot of room to experiment with it.

[Planning content that’ll require specific ships / roles?] will there be group / raid content? Disco’s only heard yes, but that’s still very far down the line. They’re still building out game systems; cargo, mining, etc… Raid stuff comes down the line. From the info Disco has right now though, yes, that stuff’s planned.

[What happened to the Shatner ‘do?] Disco cut it all off yesterday.

[How is AI coming along? Has QA tested playing against AI NPC’s?] Yes, cause it’s very key to SQ42, which is heavily in testing. It’s going really well.

[Will the Carrack go on sale?] Eventually, yes. It’s not super-limited. There’s no current plan, but if you look at previous history, the anniversary sale in November is probably a safe bet.

[Will there be a lean left / right mechanic in FPS?] Yes. It’ll be in cover. This could change, but what they were working on before was, in-game when you walk close to a wall and your player holds his gun up, that would put you in ‘cover’, and then you can peek out, peek over railings, etc…

2016’s been a rough year. Ben, Allie’s dad, Disco’s step dad has been in and out of hospital, his dad’s in hospital now… rough year.

[Will Argo fit in Starfarer?] Don’t know, they’ll find out when things are fully built. Trying to guess how big the door is… probably, but not definitive.

[Can I upgrade my Kore to a news van in 2.5?] No, news van is a variant that’ll come at a later date.

[What happened to procedural generation at Frankfurt AtV?] AtV is not the good time to show that. There might be a cool event in coming up that might be the perfect time to show procedural gen off, but no date yet.

[Is there a Gamescom trophy planned?] That’s more a question for Alexis, and she’s with Ben right now.

[As AC has lots of issues, missiles etc… will there be dev focus on AC?] Missiles is not just in AC, still an issue in Crusader as well. That’d be fixed in both when it gets fixed. Disco does say there’s some AC focus coming, probably in 2.6 or so, but that’s just a possibly.

[Idris comes with an Argo, any others?] No. Idris is the only ship right now that comes standard with an Argo. Disco could see possibly the Polaris and the Javelin, but that’s theory, nothing confirmed right now.

[When will patcher be updated so we don’t need to DL 25 gigs?] Check out Austin’s AtV last week, there’s detail on that in there about Delta patching. It’s heavily in development.

When it’s finished they’ll test it internally and use it internally first and when it’s ready then they’ll roll it out.

[Land vehicles?] Some have been sold. The Greycat, the dragonfly technically counts. Rover in the Aquila (Ursa), rover in the Carrack, the Phoenix comes with a rover as well. Those are already been shared. And there was a forklift in AtV this week apparently.

[Will the Herald info gathering gameplay when it’s flight-ready or later?] Herald will be flight ready before info-running is ready. Only because gameplay systems are being prioritised by how fast the work is developing and how many people it would affect. If it only affects one or two ships, it’s not as important as mining / cargo / etc…

[What tech needed for Merlin to dock with Connie?] Landing 2.0 is called Landing Pad 2.0. The tech needed is being worked on though. Don’t expect Merlin to connie docking in Landing Pad 2.0. That’s more about auto-landing.

[Vault update soon?] Hoping so yes. Ben normally handles those.

Ben resting is more important than a vault update right now.

[Make and model of Jared’s headset?] Audio Technica BPHS1.

Gurmukh is now here.

Today is Gurmukh’s last day, he’s sad to leave, but he’s been here for 2.5 years. ‘the fans have been amazing, it’s been a wonderful pleasure meeting everybody’

Gurmukh recently got engaged, it’s been a crazy year. He was in the hospital this year as well.

He wants to get back into doing freelance work and personal art. Take it easy for a bit.

It’s common to come onto a project, work for a bit, then move on. Important to keep skills up and broaden horizons and the like. He wants to get into film as a concept artist as well, that’s his next step.

He’s made lots of connections, going to push the next step.

He’ll still be teaching 3D classes, working on stuff for that soon in a month or two.

[Ships working on recently?] Gurmukh hasn’t been working on ships recently, more space station stuff. Lots of the stations are starting to feel the same cause they’re using the same kit, so what he was working on for a while was trying to develop a new system for unique, different-looking type of stations.

More for figuring out the idea of how to customize stations.

[What can we remember you most for in SC?] Worked on a bunch of ships and a bunch of variants. Did the concept for the Carrack and the Vanguard. Right now he’ll be remembered most for Vanguard probably, but he thinks the Carrack is a super-cool ship.

Once the Carrack’s out and flyable he thinks it’ll be pretty amazing.

[Favourite accomplishment at CIG?] Just being a part of the project. He thinks the project is adventurous and risky and exciting. It’s not your normal game project. It’s not bread and butter do the same thing over and over. They’re pushing the boundaries, being part of the project is rewarding, stressful, and exciting. Just being part of the team for so long and helping to make one of the best games.

There’s so much to figure out with the project, every day has been a new accomplishment.

They’re trying to make the most ambitious game ever made. No-one’s done it before, but now space has become super popular as far as games go, and lots of the things SC are doing people are catching on and starting to use as well. CIG are the leaders in a space game resurgence.

[How long before you return?] Gurmukh’s not planning on returning, he’s moving on to different adventures. It’s not that he’s leaving it behind, he’ll still keep in touch with friends and such, but he won’t be working on the project anymore.

[How will this affect Carrack dev?] Gurmukh was concept art, it’s about to be built out, Gurmukh’s work is done.

[What ship did you want to make but never got a chance?] Always wanted to do a single-ship fighter, and one for Anvil. He’ll actually do one on his own as a personal project; a small, single-seat fighter.

And that’s all for Gurmukh. Thanks to him for all his work as part of CIG, and best of luck!

Sad to see him go, but that happens in game development. There’s a linkedin for game people, and it’s common to see people who’ve worked on 70 games in 10 years. It’s how the game industry works. Unfortunate, but normal.

And now, looking ahead! This week’s Vault Post and Jump Point rerun will probably go up on the weekend once Disco can get some info from Ben.

Disco’s seeing Weird Al tomorrow.

Start of AtV season 3 next week. The experiment they began, rotating through the studios, they’re gonna do that. AtV will continue to rotate from the studios. Next week’ll be LA, then UK, then Austin, then Frankfurt. Great way to get larger reports with videos and images etc…

RtV is also changing. Next week RtV will rotate from studio to studio. It’ll still be live, it’ll be Tyler or Disco hosting with the respective studio. RtV will be from LA next week. Community member in the small screen, guest on the big screen.

No name changes, they explored some rebranding possibilities, but now that the Thursday show rotates, Around the ‘Verse is a more appropriate title than ever.

Tyler will do his best to get Tony Z on as often as possible as well.

Next week is the Subscriber Town-hall. Used to be monthly Subscriber RtV, they realised this week that the subscriber special thing are in the style of a Town Hall.

It’s with the character team in LA. Josh Herman, Chyene Hessler, Corey something. Character folk. Next Wednesday at Noon Pacific.

The show to replace 10 ftC is still contingent on when Chris comes back, he’s still shooting in the UK. That won’t be done till he comes back. They’re gonna do it when they have something they like and announce it then.

Sandi’s not here right now, but the whole AtV rotating thing was Sandi’s brainchild. Sandi’s been leading the charge on the updating of AtV and RtV. If you follow her on Facebook / Twitter, let her know you appreciate it.

A polite Canadian who takes pride in making other peoples day brighter. He enjoys waffles with Maplesyrup, making delicious puns and striving for perfection in screaming at the T.V. during hockey games.

Erris is Canadian. He does some random things for Relay, no-one really knows what, but still they're stuck with him. He’s also written one Young Adult novel that he can’t stand, which can be found here.